BUENA VISTA, Va. – The Southern Virginia University men's tennis team continued the momentum of their undefeated fall season into their first match of the spring, defeating Lynchburg College 8-1.

The Knights ran off with a 3-0 start after winning all three doubles matchups. Senior T.J. Snelson and freshman Paul Monson knocked off their opponents 8-3 while freshmen duo Tanner O'Brien and Ben Spencer took down their opponents 8-2. No. 3 doubles pair Andrew Blonquist and Zachary Bowers swiftly took down their opponents 8-1.

In singles, No. 2, 4, 5, and 6 singles all defeated their opponents in straight sets.

Playing in the No. 3 singles, Snelson found an opening and broke his opponent to take the set 6-3. His opponent fought back to win the second set 6-1. Snelson switched up his strategy using a mix of shots to come out on top in the third 6-3.

At No. 1, Paul Monson quickly ran to a 6-2 3-0 lead in his singles match until he began cramping. His opponent capitalized on the opening to take the second 6-3. Because Knights had won the match, Monson would play a 10-point tiebreaker in the third. The two went back in forth in the tiebreaker until his opponent ultimately won 14-12.

"I was happy with how the guys competed for the first match of the season. We started out strong in doubles and never looked back," says head coach Thomas Snelson. "Lynchburg kept fighting the whole time. Credit to them for their toughness."

The Knights will return to action on March 8th for a home double-header against West Virginia State and Ferrum College starting at 1:00 p.m.